As the Chicago Bears head into the bye week, they are in a bit of a different spot than most teams. Most teams will head into the bye week with a chance to tweak things and make one last playoff push. The Chicago Bears are already out thanks to such a late bye.
So, the moves they make are more toward seeing what they have next year. Still, this is the time to make those changes and give players adequate preparation to put out the strong tape in the coming weeks.
5. It is time to see what the Chicago Bears have in Chase Claypool
When Chase Claypool led the Chicago Bears in snaps against the Jets, most assumed it would stay that way. However, Dante Pettis had more snaps against Green Bay, mainly because he was playing in the Darnell Mooney role.
When it came down to it, they did not change roles for the top two, but they did bump Claypool over Equanimeous St. Brown.
Still, it is one thing to have already had plans for Mooney to be the wide receiver, and then shift to Pettis in the same role. For the next month, the offense should be designed around Chase Claypool.
Claypool can move in and out of the slot, he can run deep, and they run screens and reverses with him. This week should be all about putting Claypool in the best position to succeed. If they throw interceptions or things look bad because they are forcing it, so be it. This is the best chance they have to find out where Claypool and Fields can make magic, and what plays to steer away from when using him moving forward.
Integrating him into a new offense is tough, but now he has to come with enough time and knowledge that the offense should be built to feed him. No more being second in snaps or getting a shot here and there. Treat him like the top dog for the rest of the season, not just for half because Mooney got hurt.
4. It is time for Chicago Bears to start Alex Leatherwood
There have been whispers about him in the background, but Sunday we finally saw the former first-round pick. Riley Reiff started and played the majority of the game, but it is hard to think that the ten snaps Alex Leatherwood played on Sunday was not a small dip before being tossed into the lineup.
Leatherwood practiced at right tackle most of the week because Reiff missed time, and Larry Borom was inactive all week. So, it made sense that the team would give him a small dose of work after that full week of practice.
Still, even with a healthy Reiff, they probably gave him so much work because it was the first game for Justin Fields, and Leatherwood had just a few days of starting work.
Now, the team should give Leatherwood a full week of work. He should be looking to grow from the ten snaps he played Sunday. The heavy practice a week before leading into a small workload, then a bye week is a perfect lead-up to make a change.
The reality is that the only reason the team would not start Leatherwood is that they think he would hurt Justin Fields. There is no upside to Reiff, and in most good scenarios the team does not need to call on someone of his age and ability to start games next season. Leatherwood could blossom, and the team could have a first-rounder in year three locked down. The upside of starting Leatherwood outweighs the downside of Reiff potentially being a small upgrade. If Leatherwood is even decent, they have to give him a shot now.
3. Can Chicago Bears get Joshua Blackwell on the field more
One name who stood out a bit during the Chicago Bears’ loss to Green Bay was Joshua Blackwell. Blackwell manned the slot with Kyler Gordon out. Gordon may be back after the bye, so this may not be relevant, but if he is not, the team should give him more work.
Beyond that, if Kindle Vildor is still hurt, the team should roll with Blackwell over Jaylon Jones. The Chicago Bears had been playing Gordon and Jaylon Johnson on the outside, then they move Gordon into the slot and play Jaylon Jones outside during nickel snaps.
However, one thing the team could do is keep Gordon on the outside, and then put Blackwell in the slot for nickel snaps. Yes, it may not be the best for Gordon, who they want to develop in the slot.
However, many fans have noted that Gordon played more outside than slot in college, and he may be more comfortable on the outside. They can move him back into the slot if needed next year, but maybe they should let Gordon play outside for an entire game to see what would happen.
With Gordon sticking on the outside, and Blackwell in the slot they get a strong look at two rookies in roles that they could try to lock down moving forward. What is the harm in trying that, rather than keeping Gordon in the slot, and seeing more Vildor, or Jones?
2. Should Chicago Bears start Byron Pringle?
The Chicago Bears have been easing Byron Pringle back Into the mix. Still, he is the number four wideout behind names such as Equanimeous St. Brown, and Dante Pettis. I get that Pringle has only been back for about a month, and those two have been locked in since the start of training camp, but at some point, it is time to make the switch and move Pringle over them.
At the very least, they need to play Pringle over St. Brown. Pettis is now working the Darnell Mooney role, but Chase Claypool has already pushed ESB down the totem pole. ESB gets praised for his blocking, but Pringle was getting just as much praise from the same area.
Pringle made a big-time block to spring Justin Fields on his touchdown. When you start to cut into the best thing that ESB does, and you add in that ESB ran such a poor route to lead to the Jaire Alexander interception, you have to think that playing Pringle over ESB as the wide receiver three is a priority after the bye week.
The team signed Pringle to be that type of player, and they have been playing ESB because Pringle is hurt and behind. Pringle is healthy, and if the bye week did not catch him up, he will not get caught up. He needs to be getting top three snaps.
Due to injuries and shuffling on the defensive line, Dominique Robinson saw a huge snap share during weeks 10 and 11. He played 87% of the snaps, and 89% of the snaps respectively. In the past two games, he has played 56% and 52%, which is more than the 47% season average he has, but is not quite the work he was getting in that run.
The Chicago Bears are starting Robinson across from Trevis Gipson, but they are rotating each out with Al-Quadin Muhammad, who rushes as the backup from both sides.
By the end of the game, AQM is back to leading in snaps, because he gets 40% of the snaps on both sides. We have been through this before, and we thought the two games he got hurt would lead to them letting Robinson go.
Sure, Robinson was not electric in those two games, he is a fifth-round rookie who was playing wide receiver a few years ago. They may as well give him as many snaps as possible and iron out his strengths and weaknesses. It beats playing Muhammad, who has little to no upside.
Muhammad can still rotate for both, but if gets 25% on both sides, he still gets 50% of the work, but Robinson gets back up to the 75% workload. Maybe closing in on 90% is too much, but under 60% is now too little. We want to see him get five games as a full-time starter, not a starter by name only.